At the NYPD’s 120th Precinct on Staten Island, they conducted an experiment where plain clothes cops were put on buses. They found one in five riders didn’t pay the fare. Cops then arrested those who didn’t pay.

MTA board member Allen Cappelli extrapolated number that citywide for a year.

“The amounts of money that could be missing from the riders of the city for service are well north of $40 million and could approach $100 million,” he told WCBS 880’s Rich Lamb.

Cappelli and City Council Member Debi Rose urged administration of Mayor Michael Bloomberg to put plain clothes cops on buses citywide to curb what she called a fare-beating epidemic.

“When the person doesn’t pay the fare, they’re not only committing a crime, but that comes out of all of our pockets because we have to make up the difference,” City Council Member Vincent Ignizio said.

“In the ‘Great Recession,’ we can’t afford to have fare beaters beat us,” said City Council Member James Sanders, Jr.

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